Methods of electrophoretic and colorimetria analysis for the goitrogenic indole glucosinolates are being improved to permit rapid detection and estimation of glucobrassicin, neoglucobrassicin and 1- sulfonoglucobrassicin in a variety of foods, forage, and fodders from the Cruciferae (cabbage family) and related plants. The p- dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde reagent which is most sensitive for this purpose is being studied to optimize acid and water content of the assay which will be extended to other indoles of biological interest. Plants useful for metabolic studies include woad, which has the highest content of all three glucobrassicins, and Polygonum tinctorum Ait. whose high content of indican make it exceptionally useful for studies of indole biogenesis. Routes of indole metabolism will be sought as time and personnel permit with particular emphasis on sulfur transfer and transformation reactions. Results should be pertinent to current concern on the role of dietary thyroid suppresants, since vegetables of the cabbage family are often a large part of the diet of the poor. Since these molecules exhibit sulfur atoms in three oxidation states, require the formation of oxime nitrogen, and release thiocyanate on rearrangement, they are of exceptional biochemical interest besides.